New York Knicks open Game 1

The New York Knicks open the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, according to the NBA’s playoff schedule. New York is the No. 3 seed in the East, while Cleveland is the No. 4 seed. The series begins after the Cavaliers advanced with a Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons and the Knicks reached the round after a four-game sweep in the conference semifinals. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3 and will air on ABC, according to league and broadcast listings. ### Why is Game 1 in New York? The Knicks host Game 1 because New York entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and Cleveland as the No. 4 seed, giving the Knicks home court in the series. The NBA’s official playoff page lists Game 1 on Tuesday, May 19, at Madison Square Garden, with Game 2 also in New York on Thursday, May 21. (nba.com) Madison Square Garden will also host Game 5 on May 27 and Game 7 on May 31 if those games are necessary, while Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Rocket Arena in Cleveland on May 23 and May 25. The Cavaliers announced the series format and home dates after clinching their semifinal series. ### How did the Knicks get here? (nba.com) New York entered the conference finals after winning eight of its first 10 playoff games, a run that included a four-game sweep in the previous round, according to regional schedule coverage cited in the briefing and the NBA’s conference finals page. NBA.com’s East finals page also lists New York among the final four teams remaining in the postseason. (nba.com) The Knicks’ path gave them extra rest before the series opener, while Cleveland reached the round later after finishing off Detroit in seven games on Sunday. The Cavaliers’ official release said the matchup with New York was set after that Game 7 result. ### How did Cleveland clinch the matchup? (nba.com) Cleveland secured its place in the Eastern Conference finals by beating Detroit 125-94 in Game 7 on Sunday night, according to multiple reports published after the result. The Cavaliers then confirmed that the next series would open on May 19 in New York. (nba.com) Donovan Mitchell was highlighted in NBA and media coverage following Cleveland’s advance, with the league’s conference-finals coverage centering on the Cavaliers’ move into a matchup against the Knicks. The official NBA East finals page identifies the series as New York versus Cleveland. ### What does the rest of the playoff calendar look like? (sports.yahoo.com) The NBA’s official 2026 playoff schedule says the conference finals began on May 19-20 and that the NBA Finals will start on Wednesday, June 3. ESPN’s playoff schedule page also says the Finals will be broadcast by ABC. The Western Conference finals are also underway, with San Antonio and Oklahoma City making up the other side of the bracket. (nba.com) CBS Sports and NBA schedule listings identify the final four teams as the Knicks, Cavaliers, Spurs and Thunder. ### When is the next Knicks-Cavaliers game? Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, in New York, according to the NBA’s official playoff schedule. (nba.com) If the series extends beyond four games, Cleveland is set to host Games 3 and 4 before the matchup returns to Madison Square Garden for a potential Game 5 on May 27. The winner of Knicks-Cavaliers will advance to the NBA Finals, which are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. (cbssports.com) The Eastern Conference champion will face the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Thunder. (espn.com) (nba.com)